Tattoo experiences?

Question

Could you please tell me the background story behind your tattoo(s)? Like what you got, what it means to you, who referred you, where you got it, etc....

Thanks!!

Answer 1

these are the tattoos that i got in 2006, my back isn't finished yet

the first tattoo in 2006 that i got is a koi. i'm asian so i decided to go with that theme. i had wanted one for probably three years or more. they symbolize good luck. they struggle up the waterfall of life and once they reach the top (heaven) they turn into a dragon. lotus flowers also are considered to be lucky and they also struggle up from the bottom to surface in the water and are so beautiful once they emerge
i am currently turning that into a full backpiece. i have added lava rocks and a sea turtle and am 14 hours into the tattoo. hopefully i'll be able to finish it this year.

i got a skull on the top of my right foot, not to be morbid or "trendy" but because it conveys the raw emotion that i felt when my coach in high school was murdered. and also when a friend in college died in a car wreck. i never got to really say goodbye to either of those people. so the skull is a memorial to them and it is to remind me that death is just around the corner and i should make every minute count.

my newest tattoo is on top of my left foot. it is in honor of my family heritage. my mom was born in korea but never knew her birth mother because of... racism basically. so i got a takeout box with traditional korean art on and around it. and i got a fortune cookie because i love them so much. this tattoo means the world to me because it is a part of me, my mother and my grandmother whom i have never met.

all three of my tattoos were done my james clements
http://www.myspace.com/jctattoos
i was referred by a local musician and friend and we checked out his tattoo work and were impressed. my husband got two tattoos from james last year as well. when we got the tattoos he was working out of shreveport, louisiana but now he lives in corpus christi, tx.

hope that helps!

Answer 2

I got a tattoo of a crane (artistic image) on my chest 10 years ago when I first came to America. It's a chinese symbol of prosperity. I went to a Tattoo Factory in Chicago.
Am about to have another one done at the same place on Thursday, actually. Two little hearts on my wrist - a pink and a green. One for my girl dog, one for my boy dog. They're getting old and I want something to remind me of them that I've gotten while they were still around.

And the pain is really not bad like some people say.

Answer 3

I have one tattoo, it is two dolphins encircling my navel. I had it altered from the flash to be the size, colors and even the direction I wanted (they were originally nose to nose). There will never be another one quite the same and it took me over four years to decide on. The dolphins represent peace, intelligence, and just the continuous nature of life. I got mine at Tattoo Emporium in Houston, it took nearly four hours and several breaks for me b/c the lower part of my stomach was very sensitive.

I plan on getting another one soon to represent our 4 yr old, but I am not sure what, where, or any of the other logistics. I must chose wisely b/c my profession does not look kindly upon visible tattoos, yet I don't want it in a place where I can not show it w/out showing all.

Answer 4

I wanted a tattoo for years, and I knew exactly what I wanted. A rose, and the stem comes down my leg and then spells my name on my ankle. I love to see my name in script, I think that it is beautiful, like roses, like me....
Although I knew what I wanted I never put much thought into where I would have the tattoo done. So while on vacation on year in NC, I went to a tattoo shop by my friends house. No research, no thought, no time for me to chicken out and I am glad that I did my first tattoo like that. Now I am ready for more...

Answer 5

This is a common question. I usually recommend that people get 'em so that they're facing right side up to the viewer, to avoid looking out of place while out and about. But the truth is, it's your ink. We can do it how you want. Trust me, you won't be looking at it nearly as much as other people will, once the 'new' wears off. You're going to have to put up with rude people asking you why they put on your tattoo upside down constantly. Like I said, it's your money, your skin, and your ink, so do it how you want. I stand with my recommendation that you get it so that when you are standing normally, with your hands at your sides, it will be right side up. This will keep the question about why it's upside down from happening. Believe me, after it's been there for awhile, you'll be well aware of it's inspirational value. Just giving you the big picture on it. Take care, and enjoy your ink!

Answer 6

Jeremy @ Solid State Tattoo in Milwaukee did mine. I waited til I had a design I liked and I found an artist I trusted. Took about 5 years of thought and crumpled papers. Friends at work and others who had his tattoos gave me his name and rep.
It is a Eagle in the attack position on my shoulder, with a US flag furled in one claw and a broken chain with a Maltese cross with St Florian (patron St of FFs) on it hanging from the other. I am a FF and wanted to remember my fallen bros in NYC but I don't go for cartoon looking generic tattoos seems so many got afterwards.
See it - http://fattires-n-beer.com/stuph/images/eagle_tat.jpg

Answer 7

Got all my tattoo's later in life because I wanted to know for sure what I wanted to get. I designed all of my own tattoo's because I wanted to be original, you will not see a tribal band on me. I got mine done in various parlors in the California Bay Area. One on my forearm is a Stick Girl, and the other is my Native Indian name HalfMoon.

Answer 8

I have a tattoo that covers my left breast. It's big flowers and it's very colourful. I had a tinkerbell and wanted it covered up so that's how I ended up with the flowers. My boyfriend has 36 tattoos and he took me to his tattooist who was brilliant.The tattoo shop was called midnight dragon and it's in saltcoats,ayrshire,scotland.

Answer 9

i have a tribal tattoo of a sun with a scorpion inside it (right ankle). doesn't mean anything. my friends and i gave each other our tattoos as presents. mine was a 23rd birthday present. i got it at Shotsies' tattoo in NJ.

Answer 10

I got my first tattoo a few days ago and I love it~!
It hurt REALLY bad, mostly because i got it in a really sensitive spot- but hey, getting a bunch of needles shoved into you never feels very good...lol

ANYWAY-
I got the symbol from Kingdom Hearts 2 (video game).
I got it because I really like the message of the game,and Im a Gemini- so the swords going through the heart mean a lot to me because they look like the Gemini symbol. It hurt really bad, like I said...but Im glad I got it because I got it for ME-because it means a lot to ME, I love it, and wouldnt have it anyother way.